Mi’kmaw elder and school to rebuild vandalized wikuom, turn ‘negative’ into ‘positive’ – Halifax | 24CA News
A wikuom at a Nova Scotia faculty that was constructed with the assistance of a Mi’kmaw elder was vandalized over the weekend, after somebody tore the bark off the construction.
The incident is being investigated as “hate-motivated” by RCMP, however the neighborhood is extra targeted on rebuilding.
The construction, situated at Dr. John C, Wickwire Academy in Liverpool, N.S., was inbuilt May 2019. Elder Todd Labrador guided college students and employees on the mission, which has been a supply of satisfaction and cultural significance.
“The area in which our Wikuom stands is very sacred ground and it has been used by many members of our school and larger community as a place to come, reflect, learn and acknowledge,” the varsity’s principal, Stacy Thorburn, wrote in a letter to the varsity that was posted on their Facebook web page.
Labrador instructed Global News he felt actually dangerous for the younger college students when he heard concerning the vandalism, particularly since his grandchildren have been instrumental in constructing the wikuom and have been upset by the news.
“I don’t like to think that it was hate involved, just think that it was somebody made a mistake,” he stated.
“Unfortunately, the students that use it lost their cultural wikuom.”
Labrador was on the faculty on Tuesday — surveying the harm and planning to restore the construction as soon as the climate warms up.
He is a famend birchbark canoe builder, and stated that the bark has been tough to supply within the province recently resulting from illness.
Labrador believes the unique bark on the wikuom is just not in a reusable situation and admitted that discovering new bark to placed on will probably be exhausting, so he’s contemplating utilizing canvas as a substitute.
The unique bark, he added, can nonetheless be salvaged for various initiatives. As for the canvas, college students can assist participate within the new wikuom mission by portray the fabric.
“I think about our ancestors who lived in wikuoms. They just kept going. One got damaged, they rebuilt and kept rebuilding and looking forward,” he stated.
“There are all kinds of possibilities that come out of this negative situation. We can turn it into a positive situation.”
Queens District RCMP is investigating the vandalism case, and stated it’s believed the incident occurred between March 24 and 27.
Anyone with data is requested to name RCMP at 902-354-5721 or Crime Stoppers.
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